Aerating shower head



Aug. 28, 1951 J. J. GOODRIE 2,565,554

AERATING SHOWER HEAD Filed April 30, 1949 05E PH fGOOPF/ INVENTOR.

Patented Aug. 28, 1951 AERATING SHOWER HEAD Joseph J. Goodrie, Chicago,Ill., assignor to Wrightway Engineering 00., Chicago, Ill., acorporation of Illinois Application April 30, 1949, Serial No. 90,617

8 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved shower head and this applicationfor patent relates to an improvement of my prior patent entitled UnitaryFlush Valve Connection, granted October 25, 1938, No. 2,134,182.

This invention also comprises an improvement of my previous patententitled Water and Air Mixing Device, No. 2,510,395, dated June 6, 1950.

I have also a further patent entitled Aerating Device, No. 2,510,396,dated June 6, 1950, and regarding which the present invention comprisesan additional improvement.

One of the important new objects of this invention is to provide aspout'end aerator for faucets which has a rubber adapter whereby it canbe conveniently fastened to an ordinary sink faucet or the like withoutthe use of plumbing tools.

Another improvement resides in the provision of a more eflicient aeratorstructure which can be economically produced in considerable quantities.

A still further important object resides in the provision of a showerhead wherein the water openings discharge below the air intake ports andwhich includes an improved nozzle whereby a better mixing of air withwater results.

Other and further important objects of the invention will be apparentfrom the disclosures in the accompanying drawings and followingspecification.

The invention, in a preferred form, is illustrated in the drawings andhereinafter more fully described,

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, showing the improvedaerating device of my invention applied to an ordinary faucet.

Figure 2 is a detail view, partly in section, illustrating the preferredtype of shower head.

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the spout-end aerator withoutthe adapter.

Figure l is an enlarged sectional view of the main portion of the showerhead.

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the perforated disk used in the spout ofthe shower head and which serves to finally break up the water streamand also to produce and aspirating effect. This view is taken from thetop of Figure 4 looking down thereon.

Figure 6 is a plan view of a portion of the shower head construction,this showing that portion which forms part of the ball and socketconnection.

Figure 7 is a top plan view of the perforated stamping or disk whichserves to preliminarily break up the water stream entering the spoutendaerator and this view is taken from the top of Figure 3 looking downthereon.

Figure 8 illustrates the assembly of the per forated supporting diskillustrated in Figure 7 and the associated plug, whereby the finaldesired mixture of air and water is accomplished.

, As shown in the drawings:

The reference numeral I 0 indicates generally a conventional waterfaucet or the like to whichthe improved spout-end aerator of myinvention is applied. This application is preferably made by means of acylinder composed of rubber or rather similar material, as illustratedat I2, and which is tightened on the end of the faucet ID by means of arestricting metal band or the like I4, the tightening and fasteningoperation being accomplished by means of a bolt or screw I6 operating inflared ends of the band I4 in the usual accepted manner.

A flared metal sleeve I8 is mounted inside the rubber cylinder I2 and ispositioned upon an integral annular shoulder in the sleeve, as bestshown in Figure 1. This sleeve is preferably of brass or some otherrelatively soft material.

A screw threaded cylinder of steel or some metal harder than the sleeveI0 surrounds the sleeve, as indicated at 20, and this also has ashoulder upon which the lower face of the rubber cylinder I2 ispositioned. These elements, namely, the cylinder I2, its constrictingband I4, the adjusting and fastening screws or bolts I6, the brasssleeve I8 and the screw threaded element 20 comprise an integral portionof the complete unit and to which the other parts of the aerator can beremovably fastened.

The remaining portions comprise essentially a sleeve 22 which isinternally screw threaded at its upper end so as to be removably mountedon the end of the correspondingly screw threaded cylinder 20. Thissleeve is provided with an internal annular shoulder 24 upon which isloosely positioned a stamping or the like 26, shaped as best shown inFigure 3, and which has a plurality of openings 28 circularly disposedabout its center. This stamping can be made of one or two pieces and inthe drawing is shown as of two pieces with the perforated disk 30 shownas separate from its sustaining ring 26.

The sustaining ring 26 is somewhat cylindrical, as shown in Figures 3and 8, with an upper outturned flange 32 and a lower inwardly turnedflange 34 upon which the disk 30 is seated. The cylindrical structure2632-34 is of a depth sufficient for its lower edge to extend well belowair inlet ports 40 which are formed in the sleeve or cylinder 22.

The action of the water passing through the openings 28 in the disk 3!]produces an aspirating effect which draws in air through the ports 48,these ports being of sufficient size and number to allow the desiredquantity of air to. enter the interior of the structure and to be mixedwith the water, as both air and water pass through the lower end of thesleeve 22 and between its inner face and the outer faces of a plug 42,which plug is fastened to the disk 30, preferably by having the headtherefor fitted into a central opening in th disk and then riveted intoposition, as shown at 44.

The plug 42 is shaped as shown in Figures 1, 3 and 8, this shape havingbeen found by experiment to produce a highl efficient and most desirablemixture of air and water.

It will be noted that the plug has an integral depending restrictedportion 46 which is adjacent a series of correspondingly and graduallyrestricted interior ledges or shoulders in the sleeve or casing 22.These can be two, three or more iirnumber and are indicated by thereference numerals48, i! and 52 in Figure 3.

A screen, or other perforated element 5 2, is fitted onto the end of thespout or casing 22 by means of an internally screw threaded securingring. or the like 56.

' The construction of the shower head is best illustrated in Figures 2and 4 and this includes a ball and socket joint comprising a ball 55 anda corresponding socket member 62. Removably fitted into the socketmember or annulus 62 is a cooperating ring or annulus a l provided withan internal gasket 66. Just below the gasket 66 and formed in aninterior flange 63 of the annulus 64 is a series of perforations '50.This perforated flange 68 defines a. central opening E2 in the annulus64 (Figure 6). The central opening l2 allows a greater portion of thewater to flow therethrough, while the perforations l0 carry a lesserportion of the stream by breaking up th same in a preliminary fashion.

A nozzle head '14, which is substantially cylindrical in shape as bestshown in Figures 2 and 4, is removably fitted onto the annulus 64 byinterior upper screw threads 75 and this nozzle head is provided with aninterior annular shoulder 18, upon which is positioned a combinationperforated disk 80 and flanged cylindrical holder 82' similar to thecombination disk and holder identified by the reference numerals 26 and30 and previously described in connection with the spout-end aeratorconstruction.

The'disk 80 is also provided with a, series of circularly disposedopenings 84 which are usually less in number than the openings 28 in thedisk 30, these openings, disk and supporting element being bestillustrated in Figures 4 and 5. A gasket 85 is provided to fit againstthe upper outwardly turned flange of the cylindrical disk support 82,this being similar to the gasket 23 shown in Figure 3.

' A plug 88 is centrally-mounted in the disk 80, this plug having afunction similar to that of the plug 42-46 previously described, but isof a different shape as shown. Water flowing through the openings 84 inthe disk 80 impinges against the outwardly flared lower'end of the plug88 and the .aspirating effect of this water draws in air through theports 90 in the housing 14. These ports are similar to the ports 40' inthe spout-end construction. The water and air are thoroughly mixed atthis stage.

The mixed air and water impinges against the inner walls of the nozzlehead M and thence, and at least partially, against an annular integralshoulder 92 formed in the inner face of the nozzle head. This shoulder92 is spaced a slight distance above the lower extremity of th nozzlehead, which is interiorly tapered as illustrated at 94, this taper beingpreferably at a diverging angle of about eight degrees from the innerstraight walls of the sleeve or nozzle head 14. Obviously, this angulardivergence can be varied to a considerable extent but it has been foundthat an angle of eight degrees provides a discharge of a great number ofstreams of water thoroughly mixed with air in a perfect pattern for ashower when the remaining parts are all assembled, as illustrated inFigures 2 and 4.

It will be evident that herein is provided a spout-end aerator which canbe used. in connec tion with practically any faucet or other waterdischarge device on the market and which will produce a perfectlyaerated and coherent stream.

The shower head is simple of construction, has a relatively small numberof parts and produces a perfectl aerated and coherent stream, which.

comprises a distinct departure in this field. With this unit the savingof water is considerable.

I am aware that many changes may be made.

and numerous details of construction varied throughout a wide rangewithout departing from the principles of this invention, and I thereforedo not propose limiting the patent granted hereon otherwise than asnecessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. An aerating shower head including a sleeve, a ball and socket jointfor adjustably connecting the sleeve to a Water inlet connection, a diskhaving a relatively large central opening and a series of circularlydisposed smaller openings, said disk being adjacent the water inlet, thesleeve being provided with lateral air inlet ports below said disk, ashoulder in the sleeve below the perforated disk, an interior skirtpositioned on said shoulder and depending below the air inlet openings,a second perforated disk mounted in the skirt, and a water and airmixing body centrally positioned in the second disk.

2. An aerating shower head as defined in claim 1 wherein the body has anenlarged shoulder spaced below the perforations in its supporting disk.

3. An aerating shower head as defined in claim 2, wherein the shoulderof the body is Irusto-conical.

l. An aerating shower head as defined in claim lwherein the skirt isprovided with integral flanges, one for supporting the perforated diskwith its water and air mixing body in the skirt, and the other forsupporting the skirt in 5 8. An aerating shower head as defined in claim1, wherein jets of water passing through the perforations in the seconddisk impinge upon the water and air mixing body.

JOSEPH J. GOO'DRIE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Goodrie Oct. 25, 1938 AghnidesAug. 6, 1940 Turek et a1. Apr. 6, 1943 Aghnides Apr. 20 1943

